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a client needs archivable videos and subtitles, but don’t know what formats they want
We just finished a large project, and the client, a textbook publisher, wants to archive “uncompressed layered video files, but we haven’t defined a format for that yet.”
They’re not video editors. When they say “uncompressed layered video,” I assume they’re thinking of Photoshop files and assuming there’s an equivalent in video terms, but I’m not sure.
The bottom line is that they need to check off a form on their end that says they have digital masters of the DVD series that they can reuse and potentially re-edit in minor ways in the future. So we thought about giving them ProRes files, and letting them convert as needed years down the road. But the videos are actually delivered on DVD with subtitles. Should we send them the .stl files that went into the DVD? Should we give them the DVD masters (.iso) and ProRes, or something else?
I know the real answer is to wait until they know what they need, but for reasons I won’t explain here, we can’t wait. It’s also not clear that we could ever get a clear answer, because they’re looking to us for guidance, which is reasonable. So what’s a good package of files to send to them? What would you do in this case?
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3 Replies
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Well, you can media manage the project to include only the footage used in the cut, with a couple seconds of handles. That will make a new project with a small amount of media (not “uncompressed,” but in the current full res state it exists in now) and you can give them that. Won’t fit on a DVD by any means. But will fit on a small hard drive.
OR…if they want ALL of the media and the project file, then they need to get a big enough hard drive so that you can copy everything to that drive.
I have clients that prefer either one or the other methods.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Shane, thanks. What would you recommend for the subtitles? If I gave them media-managed projects with 2-second handles along with the .stl subtitle files, that should be enough, right? There are about 60 3-5 minute pieces, so we’ll just mail them a hard drive with all the material.
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Ask the client what they want. THEY are the ones that you need to talk too. But yes, back up all other files as well as the media that they want.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def
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